Author: Hantsport & Area Historical Society

Horton Journal of Canadian History - Volume II - 2001
Hantsport: From the Bustling Shipbuilding Town of the 1800’s to the Town of Industry that it is Today
By
Morgan Dunbar
The town of Hantsport celebrated the 100th anniversary of its incorporation in 1995. From that there has been an increased interest of the history of the town. Hantsport started in 1790 when a British soldier wanted to expand what he had out of Falmouth. The land that he acquired was in what Hantsport is today. (Robertson, 9) From there, the town became "fifth among the world’s shipbuilding centers." (Chittick, 10) Today, "the Town of Hantsport encompasses approximately one square mile of the area of Hants County." (Mister Webpage)
Ezra Churchill started the shipbuilding industry during the time of the Napoleonic Wars when colonial timber and colonial vessels were in demand. Ezra Churchill was a farmer in Hantsport at this time, but he had the sea in his blood and he began building ships. He built...

After James Wall sold his hotel that was located on the lower end of William Street to George Churchill in 1890, he then purchased land on the corner of William & Station Street where he built a smaller one he named the Hantsport Hotel.
James Wall died on September 21st, 1899. His son, Mortimer, became the manager of the Hotel. Mort, as he was known by the traveling public, was born in Hantsport in 1874. He married in 1893, Jennie Bell Yeaton, a daughter of George H. Yeaton.
For fifty years he served the public as the genial proprietor of Wall’s Hotel. He participated in the various organizations in Town. He also had civic interests; in 1905 he was elected to the Town Council, and placed on the school board. He also served as Fire Chief from 1923-1925.
In the Civic Elections of 1925 Mort Wall was elected as Mayor for the Town of Hantsport, a position he held for four years. His greatest accomplishment came while he was Mayor of...

THE MEMORIES OF AN OLD SOLDIER
PASSCHENDALE 1917
One bright sunny morning on February 16, 1916 a Group
of men, some from Kings University, Halifax, and myself were drilled
on the streets of Hantsport, N.S. for about three months. On May
31st. of the same year we were transported to the Army Camp at Alder-
shot, Kentville, N.S. for advanced training. At Aldershot we were joined
by the 193rd. Battalion, the 185th. and 219th. Battalions to form the
Nova Scotia Highland Brigade. After further Training we left the
Camp at Aldershot and proceeded to Halifax, N.S. about October 12, 1916.
At Halifax we embarked on the S.S. Olympic. This grand old ship made
many successful crossings across the Atlantic. We were tied up at
Pier 21 all night on Board Ship, and in the morning we proceeded to
the Bedford Basin where we anchored and waited for the rest of the Con-
voy. This inland Basin shaped of water was a Haven for all types of
Ships through two World Wars. It was in this...

50th ANNIVERSARY REPORT - November 2014
Did you ever wonder what happens to the collection taken at the Remembrance Day service on November 11th? Well here is the answer- it is given to the Hantsport Memorial Scholarship Foundation.
On April 30th, 1962, there were sixteen persons assembled with the Mayor, D.M Freeman acting as the Chairman of a meeting. The following list of Officers was elected at this meeting - Chairman - J. L. Harvie, Secretary - K. M. Hyson and Treasurer - A.L. Harlow. This was the beginning of the Foundation. There were fifteen names who were able to be identified and they are as follows : J.L. Harvie, D. Cuvilier, John Morse, Rev. Gordon Pyke, Merrill Hyson, A.L. Harlow, Evangeline Phillips, Carl Peach, John Folker, Jr., Donald Davison, J.A. Allard, Eugene Dukeshire, Mayor D. M. Freeman, Harold Burden and Rev. Blanchard. J.L. Harvie (John) is an active member of the Foundation still today at the age of 91. At that...

Some notes on time past by B. H. Gregg - September 1978
“I am but a stranger here, Heaven is my home.” This was a hymn sung during our first service in St. Andrew’s Church. It was evensong. My mother, sister, and I had arrived from England by sea the previous afternoon.
I have compiled, from the minute book of the Annual Meeting, a list of rectors, wardens, etc., up to 1978. Prior to 1939, the Rector of St. Andrew’s was the Rev. Morris Taylor (retired), the father of Mrs. Duncan Campbell and Miss Ethel Taylor. Rev. M. Taylor came to Hantsport in 1930 from Weymouth North. In earlier days, he had been an officer of the Army in India and his father a Governor of the Punjab. Rev. Morris Taylor died at the age of 92 on the 25th of January, 1959. On January 26, India became independent.
The Rev. John Sherren of Falmouth (Hantsport was a Mission Church) was in charge of St. Andrew’s during the late 1930s until 1940 when he...

Originally printed in "The Graduate" - Hantsport High School Yearbook, 1974
HISTORY
OF
HANTSPORT MEMORIAL COMMUNITY CENTRE
PREFACE
In preparing this report we were greatly aided by Mr. Ben Alexander. We would like to express our thanks to him for the kind use of his records and his memory.
After this report had been printed, we discovered an omission: the fact that Mr. Jerry McElhiney served as Sports Director in 1967. Now we are afraid that there may be others we have not noticed and possibly there are errors in events and dates.
If you find one, count yourself lucky that you can remember. So often we have heard, “I didn't know that”, as someone read a portion of our report and surprisingly, many of the younger and newer townspeople do not know the history and development of our Community Centre. This is our reason for writing this report and we proudly present it here.
Leland Harive '74
Karen McDonald '74
Lorraine Smith '74
Karen Wilcox '74
PRESIDENTS
OF
HANTSPORT MEMORIAL COMMUNITY CENTRE
J. J. Jodrey 1948-1956
R....

Published in the "Hantsport Advance" - 1904
Tribute to the Valor and Worth
of Wm. Hall, Who Won the
V. C. in Crimean War
_____
During the early part of last month the death of Wm. Hall, a brave colored hero, who won the Victoria Cross in the Crimean War, occurred at his home in Avonport. On Sunday, Sept. 25th, a memorial service for this brave man was held in the Brooklyn Baptist Church, where a large number was present to listen to Rev. Mr. Knott's tribute to the valor and worth of the Nova Scotian negro.
An unexpected element of sadness was added to the occasion by the death of Mary Hall, sister of the late William Hall, V.C., the pastor coming from the grave of the sister to preach the memorial sermon of the brother. Mr. Knott chose as his text, II Tim. ch. 4, verse 7, and spoke as follows:
There passed away to his rest on August 25th, 1904, a man whose history...